A tragic head-on collision between two vehicles near Batu Gajah yesterday claimed five lives, with three others seriously injured. The dead includes four in a Toyota, and one in a Mercedes-Benz.

All four occupants of the Vios lost their lives, while the Merc’s front passenger also died. The C-Class driver suffered serious head injuries, and the two rear passengers were seriously injured. It’s said that the Toyota crashed into the Mercedes after overtaking another vehicle.

Based on photos shared on social media (not shown here), it is believed that the rear passengers in the Toyota were not belted up, and were thrown forward in the collision, pushing the front seats and their occupants towards the dashboard. Seeing that this was a head-on crash, the speeds and forces involved would have been huge.

A US Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration study revealed that in an accident involving a vehicle travelling at 50 km/h, the weight of unbuckled rear passengers jumps by 30-60 times their original weight.

This means that in a 30-50 km/h collision, an unrestrained rear passenger becomes the equivalent of a 3.5-tonne projectile hitting the back of the front passenger. Needless to say, that’s huge potential for injury or even death for both occupants, as is the case here.

Dear readers and motorists, please buckle up and insist that all your passengers do so too. We know full well why we must buckle up, front or back. And law or no law, fine or no fine, belting up in the back is not difficult to do – we value our lives as well as those of our loved ones, don’t we?

Preferring to drive cars rather than desks, Hafriz Shah ditched his suit and tie to join the ranks of Malaysia’s motoring hacks. A car’s technical brilliance is completely lost on him, appreciating character-making quirks more. When not writing this ego trip of a bio, he’s usually off driving about aimlessly, preferably in a car with the right combination of three foot pedals and six gears.

To be fair, all W205 variants in Malaysia lack any form of active safety options (Driving Assistance Package Plus), and only has Collision Prevention Assist Plus.

That being said, DAP+ or not wouldn’t have mattered in this crash. As for the W205, it appears to have been a survivable crash as the A pillar and structural integrity appears to be intact (as opposed to the Vios where the A pillar and roof were crumpled). Most probably in the W205, an unsecured object struck the passenger hard enough on the head to be fatal.

Well, were you expecting a tank? At the front passenger seat, risks distribute 75% to it. So it is unfortunate that she passed away. But the vios would have been a boulder speeding down Everest anyway.

Chances are if you see cars driven by like psychos ..they are either Myvi or Vios . It’s time that Malaysia implements vehicle insurance based on risk bands . Malaysians must be taught the hard way and must be made to realise that taking unnecessary risks while on the roads will bring catastrophic consequences .

You can either post as a guest or have an option to register. Among the advantages of registering is once a name has been registered, a guest cannot post using that name. If you have an account, please login before commenting. If you wish to have a profile photo next to your name, register at Gravatar using the same e-mail address you use to comment.